Our Story

Urban Growers Collective (UGC) proudly works toward a more just, equitable food system in Chicago

Urban Growers Collective (UGC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization co-founded by Laurell Sims and Erika Allen in 2017. Sims and Allen work closely with community partners to demonstrate the development of community-based food systems. Their work also supports communities in developing local systems to grow, prepare, and distribute food within the community itself.

The UGC team cultivates eight urban farms on 11 acres of land, predominantly on Chicago’s South Side. These farms are production-oriented, and offer opportunities for staff-led education, training, and leadership development. Our produce is available at farmers markets, in our Collective Supported Agriculture program, and via our Fresh Moves Mobile Market buses.

Our History

Urban Growers Collective is built upon the foundation of Growing Power, a former nonprofit organization and land trust in Milwaukee. Growing Power operated its urban farm and educational workshops for 25 years before closing its doors in 2017. 

The Growing Power Chicago branch was established in February 2002 to address a need for inclusive, impactful, and economically viable food system models. Growing Power Chicago changed community perceptions and city policies regarding the viability of land tenure for food production, while also addressing food insecurity, urban ecology, and community development. 

After Growing Power shuttered in 2017, the Chicago leadership team formed UGC to continue the nonprofit’s work and legacy in our city.

Our logo was inspired by the legacy of the Drinking Gourd. “Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd” was a song used by conductors of the Underground Railroad to guide enslaved people to freedom using the Big Dipper, or in African culture, the imagery of the drinking gourd. We hope to honor the stories and sacrifices of our ancestors through our work. By reclaiming activism and growing food, we give the tools to foster resilience, growth, and personal freedom.

Our Programming

Urban Growers Collective is founded on farming, but we are motivated by helping people thrive. Our programming, centered on food access; job training and education; and community engagement; is designed to build healthier, stronger communities

Through our programs, we:

  • Provide training and education on urban agriculture and food systems

  • Offer skill-building experiences, jobs, and economic opportunities to youth

  • Identify and lift up community priorities and needs

  • Use evidence-based practices to create safe and beautiful places for communities to convene, create, heal, and transform.

UGC works to build economic opportunity for BIPOC urban growers and makers; mitigate food insecurity; and increase access to high quality, affordable, culturally-affirming, and nutritionally-dense food on Chicago’s South and West Sides. As a women- and BIPOC-led organization, healing through food justice is integral to our mission and our approach to building market opportunities for producers, providing good food for the communities we serve, and our programming.

Our core values honor shared leadership and collective decision making; racial, economic, gender, and LGBTQ+ equity; and employee well-being. We have witnessed how these values lead to thoughtful, holistic programming and yield environments that create and nourish prosperity.